Barbara Leggat, and her daughter Holly, pose for a photo with Chummeng Soun and Onotse Omoyeni, the recipients of the award created in memory of Barbara s husband, Tom Leggat, a former Parker Foundation trustee. SUN/MELISSA HANSON

LOWELL -- As Chummeng Soun explained the trip he's planning to Cambodia -- a race against time to learn dance skills and secrets from the three aging masters left in the years following the Khmer Rouge -- Onotse Omoyeni looked on with wide eyes, captivated by Soun's goal of keeping a dying art alive.

"I'm racing against time to capture their last movement," said Soun, a member of the Angkor Dance troupe. There are only three masters of Cambodian dance still living. Not only does he want to learn their art, Soun wants to capture it all on video to share with others.

"I feel like it's my duty to do this," Soun said.

The two were together on July 14 to accept the Tom Leggat Opportunities Fellowship Award, established by the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation. The fund allows the Greater Lowell Community Foundation to grant a $5,000 award to at least one young Lowell resident so he or she can embark on an experiential opportunity. That funding will help Soun and Omoyeni achieve their dreams.

Omoyeni was not alone in having interest in her fellow awardee's project. When she described her vision, a podcast featuring the stories of disenfranchised people in Lowell and New England, Soun thought it was a great opportunity for collaboration. He suggested the two could show their media-centered projects at community events for peace. While Omoyeni's project has a clear political connection, Soun's has an underlying political story. There are so few masters left because many were killed during the genocide.

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While she is a woman of color, Omoyeni, 17, said she recognizes her own privilege -- she is intelligent and has access to education. That's why she wants to give the microphone to people with less opportunity, like people of color and immigrants.

"It's very important that people are able to share what they've been through," she said. Omoyeni hopes to host the podcast on iTunes and promote it with social media.

Soun, 19, is a student at Middlesex Community College who works at the Lowell Community Health Center and is a Lowell High School graduate. He and Omoyeni, who will be a senior at Lowell High in September, had passed each other in the halls many times but had never really made a connection.

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